Motor-driven vehicle.



L.. P. E. VONDRACHEK. MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLE.

APPLIOATION FILED 1320.6, 1913, Patented Aug. 18Y 1914 WMM/wana mi f .Sui i w Mdm L. F. E, VNDRACHEK.

MOTGR DMVEN VEHCLE.

APPLIQAILON FILED 1330.6, 191s.

Patented Allg. 18, 1914.

3 SHEETBSHEET 2.

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Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNTED STATES retiren@ ermee.

LOUIS F. E. VONDRCHEK, GF VALLEY CTY,- .NORTH DAKOTA.

MOTOR-DRIV EN VEHICLE.

Application filed December 5, 1813,

Specieation of Letters Patent..

'Patented Aue'. 18,1914.

Serial No` 805,126.

.certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Driven Vehicies, of which the toinw ing is n spec-ioition, referenre being had to the. necoi'npenying drawings.

This invention relates to certain improvements in motor d iveni vehicles und has retution more particularly to n device of this general character especieily deigned and adapted for use in travel over snow or iceand the object of theinvention is to provide'- n device of this. genernljchnracter having novel and improved means .whereby the same may be propelled at. differing speeds through the' medium of mechanism cou-ating with atmospheric resistance.

`The invention consists. in the details of construction, and, in the combination end arrangement, of the several parte whereby cci-tuin irrixportenty advantages are attained :1nd the device is rendered Simpier, less eriw pensive and otherwise more convenient land advantageous for use.` all as wilt he. hereinafter more fiiliy set forth.

The novel'feetures of the invention 'will be eert-.fully defined in the appended claims.

In order that, my invention muy be. the better understood, will now proceed to der scribe theseme with referenec to the escom panyingdriiwinge,wherein* (s Figure 1 is a View in side. elevationot/Qe.

rehicle constructed in accordance withan embodiment of my invention, the inciosing body anni door therefor 'being indicated by dotted lines' Fig. 2 a i-'iew in top pian of the devine as iliustrated in i, with certain of the parte omit-ted and shown in section; Fi'-r en enlarged ref-rmentery view in ehn ition, with parte hr i eivny of the driving connection. us herein embed ieri; F 4: 'isn View partly in sect-ion und partij; in top plan, illustrating in detnii the friction wheei herein embodied; Fig. [i is enlzugged ,sectional *view teilen on the line S-) of 3; Fig. G is n sectiouiii View taken substantially Centrally throu h the operative connection between the. propeller' slmt'r :ind the vertical shaft, as herein eniheilied; Fig. 'I fragmentary view in top tue .iufgsoz ung nume for the propeller; F10' q 15" pluis, on an enlarged scale, of a portion ot i? n nu section, on an enlarged -mn i 7. J J' :mit ign one of the runnersE herein cnil Af; disclosed in the eioompanying drawfs,' l denotes the. traine of my improved ,hide which muy he of any ordinriry or inefrrred material and of any desired configuration hui, herein shown, comprises side sillsl 1%2 formed Apreferably of metal, nnguiar in cross .section and united at, pre determined points throughout their length by she transverse beams or bolstersm reinforeed by the braoe members Suit.- nblg: eonnected with the side- Silis 2-2 ad- Ajaeent the forward end thereof. aret-he semieliiptieol springs 5 5 operatively conneeted with such sills through the medium of the clamping members or ole-viss,- 6-6 and to the transversely disposed front supporting si ift or axle C". l,

Pivoteily engaged/with egroh extremity of the shaft 'i' is a huh member 14 herein -shown us held against displacement, thererroin through theinediiim of the clamping or .retaining memher und operatively connected with sui-:hindi 14 through the me- Whiie runners '1.7. may be of any ordinary or preferred construction, ind ity of advantage to provide such runner with n deinonnteble shoe 18, herein-shown as held such nolt being directed transversely in-o1 "li the rminers 17 sind being operatively engaged by a bur or nut eourprised divin of the-:arms 3G are the runners 17./

in operative position again'ist the. under surin such retaining means. By this arrangement it will be readily perceived that a shoe after becoming unduly worn may be readily and conveniently replaced with facility and despatch.

Adjacent the rear end of the frame, the sills 2-2 are provided with laterally directed spring supports 23 to which are suitably secured the elliptical springs 24 which in turn 'are suitably clamped tothe rear axle 25 disposed transversely of the frame 1 and on which are suitably affixed the hubs 26 of the skees27- constructed substantially in the same manner as the skees on the forward or front axle. y

Projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the forward portions of the side sills 2 are the vsupporting arms 28 operatively connected at their upper ends to the substantially horizontally disposed elongated member 29 terminating in a suitably formed bearing 30 for the propeller 31 whereby the force generated or created by the propeller 31 is transmitted to the frame 1. As herein disclosed the propeller 31 comprises a plurality of blades 32 preferably four in number of.

proper transverse pitch and having their extremitir sincased in a metallic casing in order to reduce to a minimum the possibility of injury thereto, the inner extremities being suitably secured to a metallic disk or plate 33 having produced in itsl axial center an opening 34 angular inseross section, through which 1s adapted topass a shafti35 of similar cross section and through the medium of which the propeller 31 is adapted to be rotated; The plate or disk 33 is substantially in contact with an adjacent face of the bearing 30 and is held against displacement from such shaft 35 through -the medium of the retaining member 36, herein shown as in the nature of a nut or bur, in threaded engagement with the outer extremity of such Shaft 35. i

In order to reduce to a minimum an resultant friction between the plate 33 an the bearin anti-fraction rmimbers 37 herein shown as in Adjacent its inner extremity theA shaft 35 has fixed thereto, as herein disclosed, a beveled gear 38 adapted to mesh with the bevelcd gear 39 fixed to the upper extremity of a vertically disposed shaft 40, such gear 39 being of vgreater diameter than the gear 38 whereby it will be perceived that the shaft 35 will be caused to rotate at a much higher speed than the rotation of the shaft 40.

In order to reduce to a minimum any resultant friction between the gears 3S and 39 With the adjacent portions of the bearing 30,

30, I interpose therebetween thel I provide the rear and under faces respectively of such gearingsfwith the conical projections 41 adapted to bear against the roller bearings 42 suitably mounted within such bearing 30. I also find it of advantage to have the shafts 35 and 40 projected through plain bearing surfaces in such bearing 30 and throu h fiber washers such as felt so that suitab e lubricant may be placed within the bearing 30 to facilitate the operation of the gears 38 and 39. The lower extremity of the shaft is mounted in a bearing 101 carried by the rear portion of the frame 1. j Keyed to the shaft 40 so as to rotate therewith but capable of movement longitudinally thereof is a wheel 43, such coaction between lthe wheel 43 and the shaft 40 being disclosed in the drawings as created by having such shaft 40 angular in cross section with the wheel 43 rovided at is axial center with an opening similar in cross section as the shaft, although I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this exact construction as the well known idea of a feather may be employed if the requirements of practice should so dictate. Detachably connected with the wheel 43 and'snugly bearing against the periphery thereof is an annular ring 44 having produced in its periphery the holes :or pockets 45 adapted to create a suction jaction when such ring is in operative engagel ment with the 'disk 46, to be hereinafter ref: ferred to. B ein loying thering 44 it is to iconveniently replaced should it become u'nduly worn as to not operate with the requiisite facility.

g The disk 46 is mounted for endwise movei ment upon an extremity of the shaft 47 but is adapted to rotate therewith and, as herein disclosed, this eoaction is afforded by having such extremity of the :shaft 47 angular in cross section, while the disk 4G is pro. .vided at its axial center with an opening' of jsimilar configuration in cross section. The shaft 47 constitutes the driving shaft and is operatively connected with a suitable motor suitably positioned upon theiframe 1. .The driving or friction surface of the disk 46 is rovided with a removable plate 49 which 1s removably held upon such disk 40 'through the medium of the clips 102, such plate 49 being also adapted to be removedA `after becoming unduly worn. Also slidably mounted upon the angular extremity o the shaft 47 is a collar or slide 50 positioned rearwardly of the disk 46 and interposed be- A 48 referably of an internal combustion type the nature of ball bearin s, operativelyposiand) tween such disk` and collar or slide is the expansible member 51, herein shown as a coil spring, which is adapted to maintain the disk 46 in opera-tive engagement or contact with the wheel 43, hfreinbefore referred to,

and by adjusting tie collar or slide 50 extremity of the frame, a horizontally disposed shaft rotatably supported in such bearlng, a, propeller xed to such shaft and disposed rearwardly of the body, a Vertical 5 shaft mounted 1n such bearmg and the frame, and means for impartngpaxal movement to the vertical shaft.

In testimony whereof 1 hereunto afx my slgnature 1n the presence ot two witnesses.

LOUIS F. E. VONDRAGHEK.

Witnesses:

EMIL E. VONDRACHEK, ALBERT VONDRAGHEK. 

